Support group gives first responders a healthy way to manage stress

In this file photo, Marion County Fire Rescue firefighters work to free Felipe Santiago Errera pinned under the semi at the scene of a five vehicle crash at the intersection of Southeast 132nd Street Road and U.S. 301 in Belleview, FL on Thursday May 31, 2012. No one was killed in the crash but the driver of the pick up was trapped for almost two hours while Marion County Fire Rescue worked to get him out.

Alan Youngblood/Star-Banner

By Andy FillmoreCorrespondent

Published: Saturday, July 20, 2013 at 6:39 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, July 20, 2013 at 6:39 p.m.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services on July 11 hosted “Breaking the Silence: A National Symposium on Law Enforcement Officer Suicide,” in Alexandria, Va., to address an issue impacting agencies around the nation.

In this file photo, Marion County Fire Rescue firefighters work to free Felipe Santiago Errera pinned under the semi at the scene of a five vehicle crash at the intersection of Southeast 132nd Street Road and U.S. 301 in Belleview, FL on Thursday May 31, 2012. No one was killed in the crash but the driver of the pick up was trapped for almost two hours while Marion County Fire Rescue worked to get him out.

Alan Youngblood/Star-Banner

Craig Steckler, president of the association, stated online that “in a profession where strength, bravery, and resilience are revered, mental health issues and the threat of officer suicide are ‘dirty little secrets' — topics very few want to address or acknowledge.

“Our refusal to speak openly about the issue perpetuates the stigma many officers hold about mental health issues—the stigma that depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide are signs of weakness and failure, not cries for help.”

Local first responders can get free and confidential help around the clock through the Ocala-Marion County Critical Incident Stress Management Team. The peer support group was established in 1989 to help emergency personnel deal with what Ocala Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Brian Stoothoff, who is a team vice president, said are “normal reactions to abnormal circumstances.”

Stoothoff, who has been with his agency 30 years, said there has long been an industry environment of “suck it up and carry on,” but that a horrific plane crash in Cerritos, Calif., in the 1980s highlighted the need to help emergency personnel with job stress.

“I responded to a car crash on I-75 in 1982 which involved a fatality. One of the responders was a female firefighter. Briefly afterwards, she resigned. If crisis stress management were available then, she may have stayed,” he said.

“We deal with home fires, drug overdoses and calls involving infants and children regularly. I'd say 99 percent to responders get through it OK,” Stoothoff added.

The crisis team has about 30 volunteers to help police, firefighters, dispatchers, emergency room and military personnel. First responders who call within 24 hours of a crisis are “defused” by a fellow policeman or firefighter. The next level is a debriefing that might occur up to 72 hours later.

First responders are advised to watch for behavioral changes, such as changes in eating or sleeping patterns and any increase in alcohol use. Flashbacks and identification with victims could be encountered, along with fatigue, memory loss, anxiety, fear and depression.

Marion County Fire Rescue Chief M. Stuart McElhaney said rescue crews “bear witness to some of the worst moments in other peoples' lives.”

“Our crews save lives on a daily basis with an outstanding level of skill and professionalism. While this provides a great sense of fulfillment, it also comes with immense responsibility, which can be stressful,” McElhaney said.

McElhaney said having a critical incident stress management team is important because debriefings provide a safe environment to discuss and analyze response to an incident. And, he added, the team is made up of former law enforcement and emergency response members who “get” how those involved in the debriefing are feeling.

He said his agency offers several options for dealing with traumatic incidents, including through outside resources.

Michael Saxe, president of the Ocala-Marion County Critical Incident Stress Management Team, was with the New York Police Department for 15 years. He survived an on-the-job car crash that killed his partner and was in a line-of-duty shooting. He retired in 2005 because of injuries incurred in the line of duty.

“A first responder who calls the team can talk to someone who's been there. There's no judgment, and complete confidentiality to be sure there is no retribution,” Saxe said.

A mental health professional works with the team to be sure the emergency responder's needs do not go beyond the scope of the volunteers.

Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham said stress management is essential.

“This program is an integral part of what we do and how we assist our public servants to cope with the horrific situations and images we see on a regular basis,” Graham said.

“It is our practice to always offer all available services of this sort to our personnel when needed. We also use our chaplains, victim/witness advocates and any and all other services needed,” added OPD Public Information Officer Angy Scroble.

Robert Douglas, executive director of the National Police Suicide Foundation, referred to the “cultural bias” of keeping quiet about reactions to stress. Douglas worked with police in Phoenix last year following four police suicide deaths in six months.